Jerman Resmikan Fasilitas Latihan untuk Astronaut Jelajahi Bulan

An astronaut cheers with ESA director Josef Aschbacher after a training in lunar surface simulating conditions for future moon missions, like the Artemis lunar exploration program led by NASA, at the opening of the new LUNA facility at the European Astronaut Center, near Cologne, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Astronaut Thomas Pesquet dari Prancis dan Matthias Maurer dari Jerman menunjukkan pelatihan mereka di fasilitas LUNA baru di Pusat Astronaut Eropa di Cologne, Jerman, Rabu (25/9/2024).

An astronaut cheers with ESA director Josef Aschbacher after a training in lunar surface simulating conditions for future moon missions, like the Artemis lunar exploration program led by NASA, at the opening of the new LUNA facility at the European Astronaut Center, near Cologne, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Fasilitas LUNA di Pusat Astronaut Eropa dekat Cologne memiliki 900 ton batuan vulkanik yang digiling seperti di bulan yang tersebar di permukaan sedikit lebih besar dari lapangan basket.

An astronaut cheers with ESA director Josef Aschbacher after a training in lunar surface simulating conditions for future moon missions, like the Artemis lunar exploration program led by NASA, at the opening of the new LUNA facility at the European Astronaut Center, near Cologne, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Lingkungan gravitasi rendah bulan akan disimulasikan dengan gerobak yang dipasang di langit-langit yang mengikuti gerakan astronot atau rover yang digantung.

An astronaut cheers with ESA director Josef Aschbacher after a training in lunar surface simulating conditions for future moon missions, like the Artemis lunar exploration program led by NASA, at the opening of the new LUNA facility at the European Astronaut Center, near Cologne, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Dalam briefing sebelum pembukaan, astronaut ESA Alexander Gerst mengatakan fasilitas tersebut akan menawarkan “sebagian besar aspek yang akan kita temui di bulan.”

An astronaut cheers with ESA director Josef Aschbacher after a training in lunar surface simulating conditions for future moon missions, like the Artemis lunar exploration program led by NASA, at the opening of the new LUNA facility at the European Astronaut Center, near Cologne, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Dirut ESA Josef Aschbacher mengatakan dalam upacara pembukaan bahwa fasilitas tersebut “menandai tonggak penting dalam upaya eksplorasi antariksa Eropa.”

An astronaut cheers with ESA director Josef Aschbacher after a training in lunar surface simulating conditions for future moon missions, like the Artemis lunar exploration program led by NASA, at the opening of the new LUNA facility at the European Astronaut Center, near Cologne, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

ESA telah bernegosiasi untuk tiga tempat di misi bulan masa depan di bawah program Artemis yang dipimpin NASA pada tahun 2030, tergantung pada kemajuan program tersebut. Saat ini, ESA bergantung pada NASA dan lainnya untuk mengirim astronautnya ke luar angkasa. ESA sedang membangun modul layanan untuk kapsul kru Orion yang akan terbang ke bulan sebagai bagian dari Artemis.

An astronaut cheers with ESA director Josef Aschbacher after a training in lunar surface simulating conditions for future moon missions, like the Artemis lunar exploration program led by NASA, at the opening of the new LUNA facility at the European Astronaut Center, near Cologne, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
An astronaut cheers with ESA director Josef Aschbacher after a training in lunar surface simulating conditions for future moon missions, like the Artemis lunar exploration program led by NASA, at the opening of the new LUNA facility at the European Astronaut Center, near Cologne, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
An astronaut cheers with ESA director Josef Aschbacher after a training in lunar surface simulating conditions for future moon missions, like the Artemis lunar exploration program led by NASA, at the opening of the new LUNA facility at the European Astronaut Center, near Cologne, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
An astronaut cheers with ESA director Josef Aschbacher after a training in lunar surface simulating conditions for future moon missions, like the Artemis lunar exploration program led by NASA, at the opening of the new LUNA facility at the European Astronaut Center, near Cologne, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
An astronaut cheers with ESA director Josef Aschbacher after a training in lunar surface simulating conditions for future moon missions, like the Artemis lunar exploration program led by NASA, at the opening of the new LUNA facility at the European Astronaut Center, near Cologne, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
An astronaut cheers with ESA director Josef Aschbacher after a training in lunar surface simulating conditions for future moon missions, like the Artemis lunar exploration program led by NASA, at the opening of the new LUNA facility at the European Astronaut Center, near Cologne, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)